


Some Things Never Change

by ShenanigansEnsue



Category: The Magnificent Seven (2016)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Everyone Lives/Nobody Dies, Angst and Feels, Canon-Typical Violence, Feels, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-11-27
Updated: 2017-11-27
Packaged: 2019-02-07 19:04:11
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,413
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12847536
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ShenanigansEnsue/pseuds/ShenanigansEnsue
Summary: The Seven, Emma, and Teddy Q. all meet about a year after the Battle of Rose Creek when they run into a man with a grudge.Based on Sentence Prompts: “What are you so happy about?” and “If you kill them, you’d better kill me too, because otherwise I’m going to kill you.”





	Some Things Never Change

          Patrons of the bar were not unaccustomed to odd faces. Cattlemen, gamblers, minors and all sorts tumbled in from the dust and muck for a drink before inevitably going more or less peacefully on their way.  However, most would conclude that the men currently sitting together were the oddest bunch of strays they’d ever laid eyes on.  

           Each of them individually wouldn’t make much fuss, save for the Indian or the black man, depending on which side of the war you were on, but combined together, all seven stood out like sore thumbs.  Once you added a single woman to their mix with her male companion, the group gained unwanted eyes from most people.

           Faraday glanced around at the room, and a small smile spread across his face.

            **“What are you so happy about?”** Vasquez grumbled.

           The man seemed completely unaffected by the outlaw’s tone as he dove further into his meal.

           “Nothing,” he said through a mouth full of food. “Some things don’t change is all.”

           Everyone at the table gave a light chuckle at that, remembering their first night in Rose Creek.

           Even Mrs. Cullen allowed a rare smile past her lips as she took a sip of her drink, enjoying the company of the men around her while she could.  

           They had all met by accident.  The seven were passing by a lightly larger town about a day’s ride from Rose Creek when Emma had gone to purchase fabric and other supplies not available back home.  She thought the meeting might have been awkward, but all the men greeted her and Teddy as old friends.  

          She knew she didn’t fit in with them, at least not completely.  She didn’t speak when they shared their stories around the table, but still laughed and smiled along with them.  It was an odd line she walked now and had felt as soon as they had left almost a year ago.  Still, they’re company was pleasant and familiar and allowed her a small moment of happiness for the time being.

          “I take it Rose Creek hasn’t changed much either,” Goodnight asked.

          “Yes and no,” Emma said politely. “We haven’t had any more trouble since Bogue, but the people are different.  Not in the way most would notice, but, different.”

          He nodded in understanding, and Emma suspected he truly did understand.  All of the them did.

          “I know nobody would be opposed to you coming back, should you like to,” Teddy chimed in.  “You’re always welcome.”

          Sam smiled in appreciation.  

          “Maybe we will.”

          There was a small round of nods, but Emma caught an odd look exchanged between Vasquez and Faraday as well as Billy and Goodnight.  They wouldn’t come back, at least, it was extremely unlikely.  That was one part she would never fully understand about the men sitting around her, the constant need to move, to roam, when a home was so close.  She would never understand, but they were who they were and there was nothing anyone could do about it.

          “Are you Sam Chisolm?” a new voice asked.

          Everyone at the table looked up to see a rough looking man standing over them.

          “Who wants to know,” Sam asked.

          Emma glanced at him, noting how he leaned slightly back in his seat, and how one hand had drifted off the table.  Everyone else at the table had moved too, only slightly, but just enough.

          “My name is Tom Shelton,” the man said.  “I understand you and your men ran Bartholomew Bogue out of a town called Rose Creek a little ways back.”  

          “That we did.”

          It was clear Shelton was a little drunk, but he hid it as best he could. He shifted in his stance.  He stood straighter, his legs stood a little wider, and his face hardened.  

          “See, I take some issue with that,” he said darkly. “I’m out of a job thanks to you. Been out of a job for quite a while.”

          “You can try and find another one,” Faraday said. “One where you don’t get hurt so long as you’re smart about it.  

          “Are you threatening me,” Shelton said, taking a step forward.

          None at the men at the table even flinched.

          “We’re not threatening anybody,” Goodnight said smoothly.  “We’re just saying you might be picking a fight you can’t win.”

          “That a fact.”

          “Yes,” Jack said, as if it were obvious.

          Shelton shook his head.

          “We’ll see about that.”

          His hand reach down for his gun, but before he could even clear the holster, Emma stood straight up, blocking his aim with her body.

          Every on froze in their place.  Emma only glanced behind her to see all of the seven had their guns out and ready to fire. The poor man didn’t stand a chance.

          “Move,” Shelton spat at her.

          “No,” she said firmly. She glanced down at the gun now aimed at her stomach and back to the man in front of her.  “Put down the gun.”

          “This don’t concern you.”

          “Actually, it does,” she said.  “I hired these men.  I’m the one who asked them to drive Bogue out. And I’m the one who killed him in the end.”

          Shelton took a step back, his eyes wide.

          “ **If you kill them, you better kill me too** ,” she continued, “ **because otherwise, I’m going to kill you**.”

          Shelton’s eyes turned to slits as he raised his gun a little higher.

          “I might just take your advice.”

          He pulled the bolt back, but he never got the chance to fire.

          A loud bang, echoed through the room, and Tom Shelton fell dead to the floor.

          Emma spun around.  

          Sam Chisolm sat still in his chair, his gun raised high with smoke still rising from it.  There was a long moment of silence as everyone stared at the body lying unmoving on the ground.

          Billy looked over at the bar, where the bartender stood stock still.

          “You might want to get the sheriff,” he suggested.

          The bartender nodded limply as he all but ran out of the bar and mummers started to come back into the room.

          Sam turned to Vasquez giving him small nod.

          Vasquez understood, and made a quick exit towards the back, presumably to the horses and as far away from the sheriff as possible.

          Teddy walked up to Emma, unsure whether to touch her or keep his distance.

          “Are you alright,” he asked.

          Emma gave a small nod.

          “Yes,” she assured him.  “Yes, I’m fine.”

          The sheriff was there in a matter of minutes. Sam took the lead, explaining the situation as the bartender and other patrons gave their testimony.  It was cut and dry self-defense as far as the sheriff was concern, but there was a strong implication in his tone that said Sam and his men should leave town sooner rather than later.

          Emma stood silent the entire time with Teddy standing close beside her in quiet solidarity.  Her mind couldn’t let go of the man’s face, the hatred in his eyes as he raised the gun at her.  She couldn’t shake the look in Sam’s eyes either, no remorse, no anger, only pity. Tom Shelton didn’t have to die, but he did, and there was nothing that could be done about it.

          She stood outside of the inn as the seven got on their horses to ride out of town.

          “I’m sorry for the trouble,” Sam said.

          Emma shook her head.

          “It wasn’t only your trouble,” she said.

          Sam gave a solemn nod before looking at the men behind him.  With a quick jerk of the head, he started forward, each following behind him.

          “Goodbye Mrs. Cullen,” Goodnight said. “I hope we met again under better circumstances.”

          Emma gave a small smile of appreciation just as Billy caught up behind him. He gave her a small nod which she returned in kind.

          Vasquez and Faraday rode after.  Faraday shot her an uncharacteristically gentlemanly look and smile of appreciation.  Vasquez did the same, going so far as to tip his hat to her.

          Jack Horne followed just after.

          “It was truly nice to see you again,” he said kindly.

          Red Harvest was the last to go.  He said something in his native tongue Emma couldn’t translate, but something about his delivery and expression told her it was something to be proud of.

          She watched them go until they were out of sight. Only then did she turned back in with Teddy following alongside her.

          She would never see them again.

**Author's Note:**

> Hey! If you like this, check out my tumblr @ https://shenanigans-and-imagines.tumblr.com
> 
> Please leave a comment and kudos if you are so inclined.


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